The next 'issue' on the horizon - tobacco advertising and F1 on tv

[Super Tourer]

Those of us who follow F1 avidly will know that it ebbs and flows from one potential 'crisis' to another, be it financial or political.

You may remember the tobacco advertising ban and that F1 was going to enter into a 'voluntary' agreement in 2006 not to run branding from the tobacco barons. However that was when all the teams thought they would have no problem replacing tobacco companies with other lucrative sponsors, this has not proved to be the case and F1 is as tobacco reliant as ever.

The plan then was for tobacco branding to continue and be run in full livery in countries that would give it dispensation, this is more likely in the far flung non- EU countries who will not suffer the same political fallout for breaking the WHO charter they signed up to, indeed the group behind the proposed new South African circuit are believed to have lobbyed the government already on allowing tobacco advertising to run on the cars.

Then the goalposts got moved:

"On July 31, 2005 all Formula 1 teams with any link to the United Kingdom will have to stop running their cars with tobacco sponsorship, whether they want to do so or not. If the British Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act of 2002 goes ahead with any changes then any organization based in Britain must desist immediately from any involvement in any business which is intended to promote the sale of tobacco products in the UK. This means not just the Formula 1 team but also the TV companies and written media."


Bernie says it will lead to a "F1 blackout in the UK"

All this sounds terribly unlikely and undoubtedly a political situation will be found, one can imagine the 'delight' of UK government minister's seeing F1 grandee's wandering up to their door to get them out of yet another 'situation'.

Of course F1 should have seen the whole tobacco thing coming, the ban has been flagged up for years, purely so that teams could find alternatives in time. But in the usual head in the sand mentality that is a feature of F1, they all thought it would 'go away', indeed team bosses aren't in the slightest bit worried.

The Formula 1 team bosses say that there is not a problem because the law was not meant to do what it is doing and that it will be changed

So once again F1 bosses will sit on their hands and wait for someone else to sort it out for them, it seems.

Quotes from: http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns13749.html

[bastinscully]

according to rumor the tabacco sponsored races will not be shown on ITV next year due to new laws in the UK due to stop tabacco advertising on British T.V. How to kill of a dying donkey that is Formula one!!!!
hrug:

[Knowlesy]

That isn't next year though is it?

[luke]

The non smoking sponsers I doubt would stand for this, it's ridiciouls.

It's just a big joke.

The best laugh I have had all week.

[Marbot]

But apparently as the law stands it's true!

[garcon]

Someone may be able to confirm when those tobacco advertising laws come into effect.

Until then, the title of this thread will have RUMOUR! added...

[Knowlesy]

Well it is a threat that's for sure, but not next year as far as I know.

Hopefully I'm not wrong.

[Knowlesy]

Which I invariably am.

[garcon]

I expect there will be some discussion still to take place before these proposed laws come into effect.

Are we to see the total censorship of any evidence of the evil that is smoking on our screens? I mean, where do you draw the line?

[Marbot]

Originally posted by garcon
Someone may be able to confirm when those tobacco advertising laws come into effect.

Until then, the title of this thread will have RUMOUR! added...

Story at www.grandprix.com entitled "F1's next big fight".

[luke]

Isn't the smoking advitising going to be banned on all cars at all Grand Prix in the future?

[Knowlesy]

No....hence all the stuff about moving F1 to the far east in its entirety.

[garcon]

Before Super Tourer gets upset that nobody has posted in his thread on the same subject, I'll merge 'em...

[Marbot]

So is it still just a rumour,Garcon?

[garcon]

The bit that says, "only four races to be shown on ITV next year" is a rumour, yes... (which, I should add, is exactly what bastinscully said, i.e. 'according to rumour')

[Andrew Kitson]

Could this be why Bernie does not want a BGP?

[garcon]

Surely not - I mean he'd never try to remove a country's GP just over tobacco sponsorship surely ... would he?

[Kicking-back]

Every race will be shown live on ITV next year.

This is an issue being blown up by Bernie in order that F1's exemption from various tobacco bans is extended.

[Rich R]

well i think f1 should kick the habit. whatever the rights and wrongs of not being able to advertise a product that you are still legally able to buy, it does f1's image no good at all to be depicted as a sport that is after a big payday, and forget the consequences, where the companies sponsoring them make their money, who they make it off.
it just makes the sport seem even greedier than it is. can you seriously tell me ferrari couildn't find new sponsors if they lost marlboro. i just wish more teams would take williams lead in this area.

[Super Tourer]

Trouble is that the new sponsors that are coming in are relatively small - Williams has signed Bud and Niquitin, but they are pretty tiny deals (IIRC $5M each or so)when you consider their 2004 budget requirement was $250M.

[Super Tourer]

Here is a post from a thread I did on 2003 budgets and which teams are reliant on tobacco sponsorship


2003 manufacturer team budgets. (figures from F1 Business)

Renault.
Total budget $257M
Renault input - $70M cash - $90M non cash
% of total budget funded by manufacturer -62%
Tobacco input - $40M – as a % of total budget – 15%

Jaguar
Total Budget $210M
Ford input - $85M non cash
Premier Auto Group (Jaguar) input - $40M cash
% of total budget funded by manufacturer – 60%
Tobacco input - None


BAR Honda
Total Budget $222M
Honda Input - $40M cash - $110M non cash
% of total budget funded by manufacturer -68%
Tobacco input - $48M – as a % of total budget – 22%


Toyota
Total Budget $287M
Toyota input $140M cash - $30M non-cash - $10M other support
% of total budget funded by manufacturer – 63%
Tobacco input - None


McLaren Mercedes
Total Budget $269M
Mercedes input - $40M cash - $105M non cash
% of total budget funded by manufacturer – 54%
Tobacco input - $50M – as a % of total budget – 19%


BMW Williams
Total budget $230M
BMW input - $30M cash - $90M non cash
% of total budget funded by manufacturer -52%
Tobacco input - None


Ferrari
Total budget -$303M
Ferrari input $65M cash
Fiat input $5M cash - $8M non cash
% of total budget funded by manufacturer -26%
Tobacco input - $86M – as a % of total budget – 28%

[raul_iulian]

I do not smoke!!!! But i don't have anything against tabacco in F1!!!!

[ensign14]

It's a Euro issue, isn't it? Brussels deciding it can override national politics (just for a change).

Meanwhile, millions of pounds of our money is spent on paying inefficient farmers to grow a product the advertising of which is banned.

[DougK]

I have heard stories that there are many potential sponsors out their who will not enter until tabacco advertising has gone in F1 as they don't wish to damage their image....I heard that Virgin and Macdonalds are such companies.

Plus perhaps cutting the sponsorship from Tabacco advertising would appear to affect the bigger teams more, meaning they couldn't spend so much and bringing the larger and smaller teams more in-line..... seems good to me and meets Max's wish of cutting spending!

[Peter Mallett]

ST. Jaguar of course have gone now. Is there a correlation?